Why Did the FBI Insert Itself in the Charlie Kirk Murder Investigation — Seth Rich Deja Vu?
Let me explain the meaning of my headline for those of you unfamiliar with the authority of the FBI to investigate Federal crimes while State and local authorities… The FBI does not have the authority to investigate Charlie Kirk’s murder unless there was foreign involvement or a clear violation of a Federal statute. The FBI is a federal agency with nationwide jurisdiction, but it can only investigate crimes that violate federal statutes (codified mostly in Title 18 of the U.S. Code) or that have a clear federal nexus. Typical FBI crimes include:
- Crimes that cross state lines (interstate kidnapping, fugitive flight, human trafficking, large-scale drug trafficking)
- Crimes against federal property, employees, or programs (bank robbery, federal corruption involving federal funds, mail/wire fraud)
- Specifically enumerated federal offenses (terrorism, civil-rights violations under color of law, RICO for interstate organized crime, major cybercrimes affecting interstate commerce, child exploitation material crossing state lines, etc.)
- Major crimes on federal land, Indian reservations, aircraft, or maritime jurisdiction
The FBI does not have general police powers. It cannot, on its own authority, investigate ordinary murder, rape, robbery, burglary, assault, theft, or street-level drug dealing unless one of the federal elements above is present. State and local authorities handle almost all “traditional” street crime and routine law enforcement. The FBI steps in only when Congress has specifically made the conduct a federal offense or when a clear interstate/federal interest exists.
Based on the indictment of the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk — i.e., a Utah resident allegedly committed murder in Utah — the FBI has no role or jurisdiction in the matter. Yet, for some reason, the FBI is involved in the case. Why?
This brings me back to the case of Seth Rich. Seth Rich was a 27‑year‑old staffer at the Democratic National Committee who was shot and killed in Washington, D.C., in the early morning of July 10, 2016. Police found him with two gunshot wounds to the back near his home in the Bloomingdale neighborhood; he was taken to a hospital and died about an hour and a half later.
Metropolitan Police treated the case as a likely attempted street robbery gone wrong, noting a pattern of robberies in the area, though his wallet and other valuables were not taken. No suspects have been arrested, and the case remains officially unsolved. Just another murder in DC… Right? Wrong. The FBI was heavily involved in the case. The following is from a blog post I wrote five years ago:
The FBI finally admitted to Judicial Watch in January 2020 that they had emails between the Washington Field Office and FBI Headquarters. These are dynamite because they show that the FBI’s Washington Field Office (which is not located at FBI Headquarters on 9th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington, DC) was communicating with the FBI’s Peter Strzok and the Counter Intelligence Division. Why in the world would the FBI be involved in investigating what was supposedly a mere robbery of an unfortunate white victim (i.e., Seth Rich) and communicating on this investigation with the Counter Intelligence Division (CID) of the FBI? The CID only works international spy cases.
Here are the emails (I transcribed them and put them in chronological order to facilitate your ability to read them and understand what is being communicated).
10:32 am — Message sent from FBI’s Washington Field Office Public Affairs officer to at least three other Washington Field Office FBI Agents. In addition, there are three other blacked out areas in the addressee field, which appear to be the names of persons who do not work at the Washington Field Office.
I hope you are well. I heard from the front office that you are covering for BLANK this week. Various news outlets are reporting today that Julian Assange suggested during an overseas interview that DNC Staffer, Seth Rich, was a Wikileaks source and may have been killed because he leaked the DNC e-mails to his organization, and that Wikileaks is offering $20,000 for information regarding the death of Seth Rich last month. Based on this news, we anticipate additional press coverage on this matter. I hear that you are in a class today; however, when you have a moment can you give me a call to discuss what involvement the FBI has in the investigation.
12:53 pm — Message replying to the 10:32 am message, sent from FBI Washington Field Office with at least four other Washington Field Office FBI Agents addressed on the message. There also are two other blacked out addresses, which may indicate personnel not in the Washington Field Office.
Adding BLANK (a name to the addressee list). I am aware of this reporting from earlier this week, but not any involvement in any related case. BLANKED OUT.
12:54 pm — Message sent from FBI Washington Field Office with at least four other Washington Field Office FBI Agents addressed on the message. There also are two other blacked out addresses, which may indicate personnel not in the Washington Field Office.
Adding BLANK for real. Stupid Samsung. (Apparently the author of this message failed in the preceding message.)
1:00 pm — Message replying to the 12:54 pm message, sent from FBI Washington Field Office with five other Washington Field Office FBI Agents addressed on the message.
Hi. (THE REST OF THE MESSAGE IS BLANKED OUT.)
1:25 pm — Message replying to the 1:00 pm message, sent from FBI Washington Field Office with five other Washington Field Office FBI Agents addressed on the message. Plus, two other BLANKED out addressees not identified.
Thanks BLANK will do.
7:09 pm — Message from FBI Washington Field Office to Jonathan Moffat and Peter Strzok of the FBI’s Criminal Division and two other BLANKED out addressees.
FYSA (For Your Situational Awareness). I squashed this with BLANK
7:49 pm Text message from Peter Strzok to Lisa Page forwarding her this email chain.
Let me emphasize that this was anything but routine. It extraordinary and unprecedented for the FBI’s CID to be involved in a simple urban robbery. Something else was afoot.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk, if the indictment of Tyler Robinson is true, was not a Federal crime. Yet the FBI, Homeland Security and DOJ all responded initially as if it was a Federal crime. Now, the matter is being handled as a state crime with no federal jurisdiction.
Based on the video evidence and public information regarding the destructive power of a .30-06 round, I do not believe that Tyler Robinson was the shooter. In fact, I think there is ample circumstantial evidence that would warrant the FBI taking a leading role in the investigation because of possible foreign involvement in Kirk’s murder. But that apparently is not happening… The Trump administration is doing a poor imitation of Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun: